Meghan Trainor Drops Gritty Video For ‘Better’ Featuring Yo Gotti

Meghan Trainor is best known for self-empowering pop jams and bubble-gum dance videos for hits like “All About That Bass,” “Me Too” and “No,” but with her latest video for “Better,” Trainor is doing a 180, showing off her acting chops and shining light on substance abuse.

The gritty video opens with Emmy-winning actor Beau Bridges sitting in a jail cell. Bridges calls his granddaughter, played by Trainor, who picks him up from jail—a routine that doesn’t seem new to either parties. The two drive through a rundown neighborhood to their shared home, with Bridges apologizing while also asking his granddaughter to pick him up prescription pills. As the video continues and the music begins, we see that Meghan’s character is caught between taking care of her grandfather while simultaneously trying to avoid enabling his substance abuse.

In the Tim Mattia directed video, Meghan plays a hairdresser, sporting a fake scissors tattoo to get into character, while Trainor’s “Better” duet partner Yo Gotti plays a bartender who’s no stranger to Bridges getting drunk and disorderly at his place.

The new video is a surprising treatment for “Better,” a break-up track that doesn’t take the traditional route of showing the demise of a romantic relationship. Emotional and raw, “Better” is an impressive achievement that touches on an often ignored side of substance abuse and family.